SXSW 2010: Food- and Drink-Related Panels, Workshops, and Parties

South by Southwest (SXSW) 2010, the series of festivals and conferences centered around digital media, kicks off tomorrow, and there are some great food- and drink-related panels, workshops, and partaaays on the schedule. We've rounded up some favorites here.

And in between all that busy SXSW-ing, make sure you actually stop and eat, instead of just talking about blogging about eating. Here's our guide to the best food in Austin (and around Austin), from 24-hour breakfast tacos to barbecue to espressos, and more.

Cooking for Geeks: Science, Hacks, & Good Food

"Cooking for Geeks covers a new way of looking at how to cook for the hacker, maker, and creative person. By bringing science and experimentation into the kitchen, this panel will show how to create better food and new experiences at the dinner table."

E-Food Revolution: Interactive Tools to Feed the World

"The internet could transform transactions across the global food supply chain, from farmers marketing their own produce, to merchants making virtual trades, to consumers choosing products based on highly personalized criteria. This panel explores how the web can coordinate information and facilitate a more transparent, inclusive, and sustainable food system."

Panelist: Elizabeth McVay Greene, a graduate student at MIT Sloan School of Management, who focuses on interactive tools that facilitate healthier food and agricultural systems.

TECHmunch Food Blogger Workshop

"If you're a food blogger, this intensive one day event will bring you up-to-speed on all the latest tools and tactics for building buzz, improving SEO, growing your audience and making money from your hard work. The 5-hour intensive workshop will be followed by a networking mixer with more than 40 giveaway prizes including KitchenAid appliances, cookbooks and gourmet chocolate. It will also feature hors d'oeuvres from Chef Shawn Cirkiel (Parkside Restaurant), and each attendee will receive a nifty gift bag."

SXSW Eats: Austin Foods 101

"Hungry yet? Learn about some of Austin's best (and most under-publicized) eating spots and eating habits. Also check out the new technology that lets you easily identify the event's hottest food trends."

The Yelp Effect: When Everyone's a Restaurant Critic

"Nowadays, with restaurant blogs and sites like Yelp and Chowhound, everyone is a restaurant reviewer. Long gone are the days when professional critics had the final say. How are user-generated reviews changing how restaurants operate and how we eat? Is there still a role for the professional critic?"

Sunday, March 14 at 11 a.m.
19B at the Austin Convention Center (map)link

The Bacon Takedown

"Last year's Bacon Takedown was a blast—and we intend to show the rest of the world just what that means. The smartest and finest bacon ideas: Bacon ice cream? Bacon Bread Pudding? Bacon empinadas? No recipe too awesome...Enter to compete!!! (by emailing [email protected]). Consider any bacon-based recipe- we'll give you the bacon to do it! For $10, anyone can come on down and fill their stomachs—just so long as they try every recipe and vote on the best Texas exemplar of bacon brilliance!!!"

Nuclear Taco

"Now in it's 8th year at SXSW Interactive, Nuclear Taco Night is a celebration of masochistic cuisine. Join a loose confederation of geeks to share the tears of joy that only come from experiencing Austin's hottest underground tradition: nuclear tacos."

What is a nuclear taco, you ask? According to their Facebook page: "A celebration of masochistic cuisine. Join a loose confederation of geeks to share the tears of joy that only come from experiencing Austin's hottest underground tradition: nuclear tacos. We meet monthly in Austin and once a year during SXSW for a massive capsaicin orgy."

I've been part of the Serious Eats family since 2008. I wore the hat of national managing editor until 2013. Originally a Californian then a Brooklynite and now a New Orleanian. You can find me at the crawfish boil.

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